Nike officially dropped Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving after he promoted a movie that critics deemed ‘anti-Semitic.’
Nike however is still in partnership with Communist China.
ABC reported:
Nike has severed ties with Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving following criticism for antisemitism.
“Kyrie Irving is no longer a Nike athlete,” the company said in a statement to ABC News.
Irving received widespread criticism after he posted a link to an antisemitic film on Twitter in late October.
Last month, after the Brooklyn Nets’ loss to the Indiana Pacers, Kyrie Irving answered questions from reporters at Barclays Center.
The questions focused on the controversy surrounding Irving’s alleged promotion of a documentary, which critics deemed ‘antisemitic.’
In a now-deleted tweet, the professional basketball player posted a link to the 2018 film adaptation of Ronald Dalton’s book “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on his Twitter account on Thursday.
Rolling Stone claimed that the book and the film were “stuffed with antisemitic tropes,” CNN reported.
“I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs. The “Anti-Semitic” label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in every day. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions,” Irving wrote.
“History is not supposed to be hidden from anybody, and I’m not a divisive person when it comes to religion. I embrace all walks of life. You see it on all my platforms. I talk to all races, all cultures, all religions. And my response would be, it’s not about educating yourself on what Semitism is or what anti-Semitism is. It’s really about where the root words, where these come from and understanding that this is an African heritage that is also belonging to the people,” Irving said during the press conference on Thursday.
“I’m not comparing Jews to Blacks. I’m not comparing White to Black; I’m not doing that. That conversation is dismissive, and it constantly revolves around the rhetoric of who are the chosen people of God. And I’m not here to argue over a person, or culture, or religion on what they believe. Nah, This is what is here. It’s on a public platform. Did I do anything illegal?”
“So, I’m not going to stand down on anything that I believe in. I’m only going to get stronger because I’m not alone. I have a whole army around me.”
